The Stone of Life
by DaughterofArtemisxxx
Summary: AU: 1st in Nothing More to the Flames series. What if Sirius Black had a daughter? Carina Black and Harry Potter were the ultimate duo. They were the best of friends and had nothing standing in their way. Join them on their adventure to save the sorcerer's stone... and perhaps other secrets. Updated weekly!
1. 1: Story of My Life

**Author's Note: Hi fellow fanfiction addicts! Welcome to my new story!**

 **Here are my goals:**

 **1\. At least 1000 words per chapter**

 **2\. Updating at least once per week (unless I really can't. In that case, I WILL make it up, and I WILL tell you about it beforehand. )**

 **3\. Making all characters not OOC with the exception of Harry (because instead of being alone, he has Carina! He won't be too OOC)**

 **Please do not flame my story. I understand if you're giving me constructive criticism, but please give me something to work with instead of just saying 'wow that story stinks'.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Story of My Life

The cupboard under the stairs was a dingy little place. Carina Black, though scrawny and short for her age, was still cramped in there. The lock rattled, and not a moment later, a boy came in. The only thing she could see about him was his luminous green eyes. Harry Potter.

"I'm back!" he said cheerily.

Carina looked at the toast, hunger obvious in her eyes. She grabbed the bread and tore it into halves. She raised it up to Harry, and said, "Cheers."

Harry rolled his eyes as Carina scootched over to make room for him. A couple of years ago, they had devised a plan to make the place that was already very small for one person, fit for two. She clunked her bread with his when he raised it as if they were actually toasting with a wine flute. They had seen the Dursley family do that. Though they lived with them, though Aunt Petunia and Dudley were Harry's aunt and cousin by blood, Carina's only family was Harry even though they weren't even blood related, and she had enough confidence in Harry to think that he thought the same way.

"Dudley talked about going to the zoo tomorrow. What havoc do you want to wreak at Mrs. Figg's house?" Harry said with a wry grin on his face.

Carina was silent, though she had an almost identical grin. She had always wanted to go to a zoo, and yet they never were allowed. She remembered when she was five years old, asking if they could go to the zoo with them. Uncle Vernon had spit on her whilst saying no in the cruelest way possible, and then slapping her cheek.

A spider started to crawl up her leg, and with a tiny gasp, she flung it off. Harry's eyes turned to her again, now wide with shock and anticipation. They both silently waited for a few seconds, trying to see if there were any sounds on top of the stair, but everything was silent, and so they breathed again.

"Stop doing that!" Harry said, swatting her. She giggled, though it was short lasting.

She didn't know when, whether it was a couple minutes later, or a few hours later, she had dozed off, and evidently, Harry had too. They woke up to Aunt Petunia's cat-like screech. Funny how she was like an animal in every way. Her voice is like a cat, her face is like a horse, and her neck is like a giraffe.

"Up! Get up now! Bake something for Duddy's birthday, and if it has even one burn on it you had better believe…"

Carina got up. She had a constant dream about a man who could turn into a dog. He looked so familiar… she knew she had seen that face before, but she wasn't sure if it was in another dream or a memory. Surely if it was a memory, he would've come to get her by now. She looked at Harry in the eye, and they did a little, complicated move with their hand, their secret handshake to tell each other 'good luck with your day'. It usually never worked, but it signifies that no matter what they would be there for each other. They then both got up, a perfectly synchronized move after years of practice. She reached for the opening, and he jumped out, so Carina could move out too.

As they walked to the kitchen, Carina brushed her hair before putting it into a ponytail, though she knew she didn't need to. It was somehow like magic, she could go through one night of sleep, she could muss up her hair however she wanted to, it would still go back to her curls. Harry had dubbed them 'gorgeous curls fit for a queen'.

When they got to the kitchen, the first thing they saw was a face that was about to get scrunched up. Dudley was about to fake cry. Carina braced her ears, but fake ear-splitting wail never came. Instead, there was Aunt Petunia's soothing voice, and Dudley stumbling on the most basic arithmetic.

Though the rest of the family didn't notice them quietly creeping in, Uncle Vernon did. He glared at them with beady little eyes.

"You're late," he said simply.

That was enough to gather the attention of the rest of the family. Aunt Petunia sneered at them, but fortunately, didn't notice more than that. The phone had started to ring, and she rushed out of the room for the latest gossip.

Out of nowhere, Carina was roughly grabbed in the arm.

"Cook!" Uncle Vernon said, spitting all over her.

She complied. In a couple minutes, a toasty, delicious English breakfast was already done. Uncle Vernon glared at her one last time before sending the food outside. His face immediately changed into one of happiness and pride as he saw Dudley eating all the food as if he himself had made it and Dudley was complimenting him by eating in a manner not dissimilar to a pig. She was about to snort in disgust when she thought better of it. She was in enough trouble as is.

The phone then started to ring and Aunt Petunia rushed out of the room. A couple minutes later, after most of Dudley's presents had been crudely unwrapped and most of them discarded to the side, Aunt Petunia returned back into the room with a face so somber you could swear she was about to say a relative had died.

"Mrs. Figgs has broken her leg. She cannot take the two… _freaks_ with her today," she said staggering over the word freak.

Carina couldn't help but think 'Better a freak than a moron'. She noticed Harry's eyes across the room where he was picking up the wrapping paper. His eyes were simultaneously asking her a question and staring at her in disbelief. Carina jogged her memory to try and see if there was anything worth noting about in the last five minutes.

Her mind then froze as realization burst through: Mrs. Figgs couldn't take them in. She was very excited at the prospect of having to go another year before seeing those cats.

"Can your friend Yvonne or perhaps Marge take them in?"

She promptly deflated. In her mind, she was echoing the thought 'so close yet so far'. It would've been a great chance to show Uncle Vernon up.

"Yvonne's in Majorca and Marge hates those vile creatures."

This time, it was her who stared at Harry first, and him who had turned around. His eyebrows were raised, in their tiny little secret code. She gave him the code for I-Have-No-Idea. They turned back to their work.

Then, the doorbell rang. Dudley rushed to the door, whilst Aunt Petunia fussed over him. Piers Polkiss and his mother were standing in front of the door. She smirked. She had always loved it when Piers came over if only to see his face.

The first and only time he had come over, Piers and Dudley were simultaneously playing 'Human Punching Bag', and 'Misplaced Gentlemen' as she had dubbed them. Aunt Petunia had taken them to a movie. The few things she and Harry had gathered after the movie was that it was it had some gentlemen in it, and the phrase 'never hit a woman'. So they were running after Harry. Out of worry, concern, and sheer desperation, she had hoped with all of her heart that Piers and Dudley would turn into their spirit animals.

Though there was no change in appearance for Piers, after that incident, she would always feel as if Piers was an ant. Dudley had gotten a cockroach antenna, though unlike Piers, he did not radiate a cockroach aura. Instead, he had a strange appetite for hair and nails. Like a cockroach. Carina and Harry had laughed. Laughing was rare, and so she was sure that they both treasured that moment in their mind.

She had gotten punishment for that: She was to go outside and clean the Dursley garden's weeds. Uncle Vernon had put poison ivy leaves everywhere, and in the end, almost her entire body was swollen. She also didn't have water for the rest of the day or food for the rest of the week. Harry had to sneak all of the food because she was unable to. The Dursleys and Piers had also learned their lessons. From then on, no friend was to visit them in the house. She didn't mind though, not one bit.

As of right now, only one thought flitted inside her head.

 _Today is going to be fun!_


	2. 2: Menagerie Mishaps

**Author's Note: And here is Chapter two! So, how do you think of this story so far? Please review! It would mean so much to me!**

* * *

Chapter Two: Menagerie Mishaps

Harry knew from the start that today was going to be a horrible day. Waking up after the Dursleys and having Uncle Vernon glare at Carina only proved his point. Then, they got the news that Mrs. Figg wouldn't be able to take them out today. He had started to think, perhaps, just this once, maybe his intuition was wrong? He had shared a glance with Carina, stared her down until she got the point.

She didn't get it.

There was no way, no way that they were going to the zoo. On a normal day, he could entertain the thought. On Dudley's birthday? No, it was better to have not thought of it at all than think about it and get excited only for his joy to be killed. He only wished that he could warn Carina about it too. As Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon started to discuss where they would keep Carina and him, he knew that Carina would be upset.

She was.

Then Aunt Petunia asked, "Well maybe they could come with us... and stay in the car?"

Harry was shocked. If they were allowed onto the car... he knew his own abilities, and along with Carina's, they could definitely have a smashing time at the zoo without the Dursleys at their backs constantly haranguing them. However, that plan was quickly shot down. After a while of Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon conferring with each other to try and figure out the best solution, the only thing they came up with was to take Harry and Carina with them to the zoo. Harry was shell-shocked as none of the scenarios he had come up with had ever ended up like this. Not since Carina had asked the fated question when she was five.

The doorbell rang, breaking Harry's stupor, and behind the door, was Piers Polkiss in all his ant-like glory. Dudley and Aunt Petunia rushed to the door to greet him. Harry found it funny that even if all Dudley wasn't like a cockroach anymore, Piers still radiated an aura that just felt like ants.

A few minutes later, Harry found himself in the car with Carina, Piers, and the Dursley family, going to the zoo with Uncle Vernon rattling on about motorcycles. Carina had a strange look on her face, and Harry wondered what she was thinking about.

Almost in a trace, Harry said, "I had a dream about a flying motorcycle…" and immediately regretted saying anything at all.

Uncle Vernon turned around, almost crashing into the car in front of him, with his face beet red. Looking over at Carina, he could tell that she was trying very hard to stifle a laugh. Harry really had to give her credit for her nerve. Trying to laugh when Uncle Vernon could very easily slap that smile off her face. He wasn't paying any attention to her, however.

"Motorcycles don't fly!" he yelled, spit flying everywhere. Carina had wrinkled her nose in disgust while Dudley and Piers snickered.

To defend his dignity, he said, "I know that, it was only a dream."

But it was obviously a lost cause. The Dursleys hated him talking about abnormal things, but that was exactly what he is. Abnormal.

That didn't stop him from having a great morning. Carina was sort of distant, constantly looking at the animals, and talking to them in a sweet quiet voice, reserved just for cute little creatures, with them always responding in return. He wondered if she could actually understand what the animals were saying and if the animals knew what she was saying in return. He was finding all the different types of animals very enjoyable.

Not only that, but Dudley hadn't finished his knickerbocker glory, complaining about the amount of ice cream in it. So, he was allowed to eat it. He was going to let Carina have a bite when Aunt Petunia swiped the spoon out of her hand. Carina gave him a glance that said it's-ok-I-don't-mind, and so reluctantly, he finished the rest of the knickerbocker glory. By himself. Carina's mood wasn't dampened at all even though she didn't get the ice cream. Harry shook his head as she still rushed around from glass case to glass case talking to all of the animals.

Dudley and Piers, on the other hand, had found the largest snake in the zoo. It was sleeping. No matter how much Dudley yelled, how much Uncle Vernon rapped the window, the snake was still sound asleep. Harry couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for the snake. So, he decided to walk up to it. Seeing how Carina was so successful with getting the affections of the animals, he supposed that it would be pretty simple to talk to them too.

"I understand how you feel. It isn't easy, constantly being annoyed and driven out of your sleep by those two."

The snake blearily opened one eye, and gave Harry a look that screamed 'you think?'

Harry smiled. After asking the snake a few more questions, he decided to tell Dudley and Uncle Vernon that the snake was awake. Dudley shoved him out of the way, and he fell to the floor with the breath knocked out of him. Carina stretched out her hand to lift him up.

Dudley and Piers were leaning on the glass with their faces smashed against the window. Harry wondered what would happen if the glass disappeared. Almost as if the glass read his mind, there was a slight 'pop' sound, and the glass vanished. Dudley and Piers fell face first into the moist dirt in the snake habitat. As the snake slithered away, Harry could swear that it said 'gracias amigo' but he shook it off as nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carina pick up some stone, but he paid no mind to it. Instead, what he focused on, was Uncle Vernon's reddening face.

Everyone else was in shock, the reptile exhibit keeper even muttering to himself, 'but the glass, where did it go?' But nothing was compared to Dudley and Piers' face as they shivered, and the snake snapped at their heels. They ended up dramatizing what had really happened by a lot, saying that the snake was trying to bite their heads off and kill them. Piers, in the end, managed to put the blame on Harry and landed him in his cupboard without any meals. Harry locked in the cupboard, for once, instead of Carina. But that didn't mean he didn't hear the punches, and the slaps, and eventually, the sickening crunch of belt on skin.


	3. 3: Theo's Bracelet

**AN: OH MY GOD I MISSED A WEEK! IT'S ONLY MY THIRD CHAPTER AND I ALREADY MISSED A WEEK! I FEEL SO SO SO SO BAD! Okay, so after some nights of not being able to fall asleep, I have decided that I will either: Post two chapters this week not including this one, or create a background story (NOT one-shot) for one of my characters after the plot has been developed a little and more people are introduced.**

* * *

Chapter Three: Theo's Bracelet

Carina stared at the dark red jewel embedded in the bracelet on her hand that she had picked up at the zoo. It was midnight, and everyone was asleep. Everyone but her.

It had been a terrible day for her. The zoo was fun and all, but then Uncle Vernon got mad at Harry and took it out on her. As soon as she got into the cupboard, she fell asleep. It was one of the blissful kind, where you forget everything, and just exist. But of course, all dreams end and she woke up to a searing pain in her back. Every move hurt, so she tried to move as slow as possible. It didn't help a lot, but when she got the choice of a lot of pain in one moment and a small searing pain that she could ignore for a long time, she would choose the one that she could ignore most easily.

Raising the bracelet so it's luminous glow was shining directly in her face, she realized that she could see words in it. She brushed one of her fingers on the top of the jewel, and words appeared on it, along with a soft brushing of the words in her head.

 _Carina, does this work?_

Her breath got hitched in her throat. First she finds a bracelet with a strange lit-up jewel that seems to call her name, then she finds out that it was expecting her.

 _Don't be silly, of course I'm not the bracelet. This is merely a communication device._

Carina swallowed. It seemed as if the bracelet- no the person behind the bracelet could read her mind.

 _That's because I can._

Oh. Carina couldn't help but think that the person was a bit intrusive.

 _You can do it too. I'll teach you._

A devious smile lit up on her face. If she could read minds… then a thought struck her, and she bit her lip.

If this isn't real… if it's just a dream…

 _Then go to sleep. In the morning, you'll find that I'm still here. Still reading your thoughts._

Reasonable. So she went back to a restless sleep.

When she woke up, Harry was still asleep, but the sun was still bright outside. Looks like they weren't coming out of the cupboard for a while. It took her awhile to remember the events of the past night. She was particularly pleased that she probably could read minds, though she tried to deny it as it was impossible. Though, however pleased she was, the person behind it was not pleased at all.

 _You have been awake. For a long time now._

Carina smiled. She swore she heard a harrumph at the other end, though the words wasn't displayed on the screen. She wondered what she should call the person.

There was a long silence before the person answered.

 _Theo. You can call me Theo._

She had a sneaking suspicion that Theo wasn't his real name, but it didn't matter. She had only met Theo for one day, it made sense that he didn't trust her. Theo probably knew what she was thinking, but if he heard, he made no sign of it. One thing she really wanted to know though, was if she was awake, and not in a dream controlled by her brain, then how was Theo reading her thoughts?

 _I come from a different world. Your birthday is July 14th, is it not? You will know the answer soon enough._

A different world? Carina didn't even want to think about it. Perhaps her mind was making things up, her back still did hurt like crazy. Maybe she was hallucinating? She wouldn't mind it going on forever, as Theo seemed nice. But she definitely did not want to go to a mental hospital for schizophrenia.

 _Fine. Go back to sleep. Take whatever muggles take when they are hallucinating. You can be assured, that I am very much real, and I am as real and as alive as you are._

A few weeks later, she had taken to ignoring Theo to try to not think about her obviously declining mental health as much as possible. But then came her birthday.

Uncle Vernon had just asked Dudley to take the mail, and as usual, Dudley was complaining, telling him to have Harry do it. Harry told Dudley to get it.

Harry had to go get it. Of course, Harry being the horrible sneak that he is, managed to get the mail that was addressed to them confiscated by the Dursleys. Harry felt guilty, but she was quick to reassure him that it was alright. And that was the end of it.

She told Theo all about it, of course, and he was furious. She, too, was furious in turn, that he had the gall to say such things about her beloved brother in everything but blood.

 _That letter contained everything you need to know about my world._

Oh. Carina couldn't help but feel a little resentment to Harry after that. But Harry had seemed sad enough, so she didn't press it on him, and was careful to keep her thoughts to herself. Instead, she told Theo all of her worries. Theo's reply was nothing if not reassuring.

 _It's alright. They'll probably send another letter anyways. I just thought that you would want to know about my world sooner rather than later._

Okay. So Carina waited. Until a couple days later, when letters came day after day with stunning accuracy of where Harry and Carina were. They soon were moved to the bedroom upstairs, and then to a hotel, and then to a dingy little hovel. Carina berated herself day after day when she didn't catch a single letter. It probably had to do with her healing back along with new injuries that popped up throughout the week. Though she knew he could read her thoughts, and probably knew about the injuries, she could feel him getting more and more furious every day even though he was trying to contain it.

 _What?! You still didn't get even one letter? Oh my Merlin! I- I mean it's alright, but still! Just one!_

She felt bad for Theo. It was obvious he really wanted her to know about his world. She wondered what it was like, if he could read her thoughts and create a bracelet like a communication device. Or, she assumed he created it. For who else could've if not him?

Then, came Harry's birthday. In that cold and windy shelter, the Dursleys all crammed into the only tiny bed, Harry got the sofa, and Carina got the floor. Though Harry wasn't moving, she knew he wasn't asleep. She, too, was counting down minute by minute until his birthday so she could be the first to sing to him.

Then, midnight came. She sung as quietly as she could to not disturb the Dursleys, but hoped she was loud enough for Harry. However, not even a minute after she finished singing, a CRASH sounded through the shelter, and the door came down.

 **PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THIS!**

 **So I am the type of person that skips ANs. If you read the top AN, you don't have to read this. Unfortunately, I don't want you guys to skip this AN. So I did it on both the top and the bottom. I feel so bad about skipping one week and it's been haunting me this entire week as I rushed to finish this chapter. So, after a couple nights of no sleep over this, I have decided to do something. A poll.**

 **Your choices are: I post two chapters this week(not including this one) or I do a background story on one of the characters once the plot has developed more, which will not be a one shot.**

 **Okay, I feel a lot better now.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~DOAXXX**


End file.
